BOWERS, Del. - Flooding and high tides pushed water into Bowers streets Saturday, even as rainfall eased.
Hunter Grier is an amateur radio operator who volunteered at Magnolia Fire Company. He and other volunteers stayed ready in case the storm worsened.
"Fortunately today we had a very slow operation,” Grier said. "But if there were to be a larger incident such as what you've seen in previous years, such as Hurricane Helene, if communications were to fail, either self-service or internet, we would be able to provide that backbone to the 911 center and provide any information that would originate from here.”
Rising waters are familiar to locals.
“We currently have some residents that still live here and refuse to leave and, normally, this is not something that's uncommon for us, especially tides. We deal with them all the time,” Bowers Fire Chief Phillip Pennington Sr. told WBOC News.
Shawn Lannon of Bowers says he has experienced more intense storms during many years of living there.
“We've lived down here for years,” Lannon said. “Been through many…nor'easters. This is by far not the worst.”
The Delaware Emergency Management Agency, or DEMA, encouraged neighbors of the town of Bowers east of Whitwells Delight Road to evacuate.
While precautions were put in place and volunteers were available to assist the public, nobody sought refuge or contacted emergency responders for help on Saturday. Those living in Bowers remained safe, despite the challenging weather conditions.
“Safety comes first, not just for our community and surrounding areas, but for ourselves as well. But we're here in case anybody needs us,” Addeline Haught-Fuemmeler told WBOC News.
Strong wind gusts and rain are expected to continue into Monday, with the storm moving away from Delmarva by Tuesday afternoon.